The fallout from the Luka Doncic trade is still hanging over Dallas, and a new allegation has pushed it back into the spotlight.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Mavericks went behind the scenes to chip away at Doncic’s image while trying to defend the February 2025 deal that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his discussion of whether Doncic’s greatness has become underappreciated or underrated, Amick cast Dallas as the outlier among basketball voices who still recognized just how special he is.
“The Los Angeles Lakers star has been a lightning rod for criticism from that crowd for nearly a decade now, from the time the Slovenian sensation entered the league as a fiery and absurdly talented rookie in those early Dallas Mavericks days.”
“But the actual basketball people - even the ones who were most critical about his defensive struggles, the contentious relationship with the refs and his (previous) physique - always acknowledged his undeniable greatness (except for the Mavericks when they worked so hard to justify the February 2025 trade with a smear campaign behind the scenes).”
The critique around Doncic was familiar enough: defense, arguments with officials, and conditioning. What stood out in Amick’s reporting was the claim that the Mavericks worked hard to justify the trade with a smear campaign behind the scenes.
The article does not name a specific person responsible or lay out a separate operation in detail. Instead, it uses that allegation as context for the reaction that followed one of the most stunning trades in NBA history.
Dallas sent Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers in February 2025 and received Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. The Utah Jazz were also part of the three-team deal.
The shock was immediate because Doncic was just 25 and had carried the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals only eight months earlier. Fans were stunned that the team would move a player with that kind of ceiling so soon after a Finals run.
At the time, then-general manager Nico Harrison stressed defense and said Davis gave the Mavericks a better chance to win. Reporting around the move also pointed to Dallas’ concerns about Doncic’s conditioning and what it would mean to commit him to a massive extension.
The conversation quickly got more personal. A February 2025 Los Angeles Times column by Steve Henson dug into the claims about Doncic’s weight, beer drinking, and hookah use, and asked why the Mavericks seemed so determined to discredit their former star.
Those claims were part of the public debate, not proof of a lack of commitment. Still, they became entangled in a trade the Mavericks were under heavy pressure to explain.
No one was arguing Dallas had no right to assess Doncic’s health or defensive shortcomings. The real question was whether those concerns outweighed the production of a young superstar who had brought the franchise within four wins of a title.
Amick’s piece also ties this episode to a broader discussion about how Doncic is viewed now. Draymond Green suggested that numbers this outrageous can become almost ordinary when Doncic does them all the time, and that he may never get serious MVP consideration. Austin Reaves struck a similar note, pointing out how a huge scoring night can start to feel normal when Doncic is the one doing it.
None of that makes him beyond criticism. His defense and his exchanges with referees are still fair subjects to question.
But those flaws live in one lane; the trade lives in another. Pointing out imperfections does not automatically explain away the decision to move a player who had defined Dallas’ championship hopes.
In Other News...
Lakers May Need To Wait Briefly On A Rotation Surprise
Jake LaRavia gave the Lakers an early glimpse of what he can bring in the rotation before an ankle injury interrupted his season opener against the Warriors. He was ruled out for the next game against the Clippers, but the injury does not appear to be viewed as a long-term setback, and his strong first-night showing made him one of the more interesting early pieces in JJ Redicks mix.
Redick sounded optimistic that LaRavia could be back soon, with a possible return either Oct. 25 against the Jazz or Oct. 27 against the Trail Blazers. For a Lakers team still sorting out its rotation, the timing matters, because LaRavias brief debut offered a glimpse of a role that could matter once he is healthy enough to reclaim it. [Read more 🡒]
JJ Redick Draws A Clear Line For Luka With Lakers Defense
JJ Redick has made the boundaries pretty clear for Luka Doncic: talk to the referees if you want, but not at the expense of the Lakers getting back on defense. After Los Angeles handled the Warriors, the conversation around Doncic shifted away from the result and toward the moments when emotion and game management can overlap, especially when a possession turns into a transition scramble.
Doncic said he wants to stay away from technical fouls while keeping his emotions in check after his confrontation with Golden State rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, and that is where the tension lies for the Lakers. Redicks stance suggests the team can live with some arguing, but not if it leaves them exposed in the kind of defense that matters most when the floor opens up and the game speeds up. [Read more 🡒]
Rui Hachimuras First Clippers Reunion Brought A Lakers Twist Fans Noticed
Rui Hachimuras first meeting with his old Lakers teammates since joining the Clippers had the feel of a reunion before it even settled into a rivalry. The warm reception he received from former teammates said plenty about how he was viewed in Los Angeles, and Hachimura seemed to return the sentiment, speaking highly of his time with the Lakers while also embracing the start of a new chapter with the Clippers.
There was still a basketball game to sort through, and the night did not break in the Clippers favor, but the emotions around Hachimura were hard to miss. Luka Doncic added another layer afterward by voicing his friendship and respect for Hachimura, a reminder that these cross-town matchups can carry more personal history than the box score shows. [Read more 🡒]